Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the real time monitoring and weight adjusting of the food and meat producing animals. This system provides data needed to control the facility water spray and refrigeration system to maintain carcass weight and reduce carcass shrinkage.
Background Art
As part of the processing of meat, carcasses are hung on trolleys 100, such as that shown in FIG. 1, that are guided along an elevated track through the packing plant. The elevated track passes through cooling facilities, where the carcasses are chilled and moistened.
A challenge in the chilling process is that of maintaining carcass weight. The system in use today makes use of a single scale located on the facility's track system. Selected carcasses are diverted to the single scale where each carcass is weighed and tagged before the chilling process starts. These data are kept for later reference. After a selected carcass is identified and weighed, it is sent back to the main track system, then to the chilling room or carcass cooler. In the chilling room, all the carcasses are refrigerated and sprayed with chilled water to drop the internal temperature of the carcasses to the desired processing temperature. The time required for chilling can vary from hours to days, depending upon the product. The required chilling time notwithstanding, when the identified (pre-weighed and tagged) carcasses leave the carcass cooler, they will be diverted to the scale and reweighed. The difference in the entering weight and leaving weights of the carcasses will be used to adjust the refrigeration and spray equipment. This method for controlling weight loss is effective, and loss due to shrinkage in most facilities averages 0.8% to 1.5% weight reduction on all carcasses.
However, even the apparently low loss of 0.8% to 1.5% for each carcass results overall in thousands of pounds and millions of dollars due to the total mass of meat processed. Many variables during the chilling process affect the rate of weight loss. Because of the complexity of the problem and the regulations prohibiting suppliers from having weight gain (carcasses weighing more after the chilling process), the industry has accepted the current loss averages. However, the losses in weight and revenue remain.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus for providing real-time monitoring and constant weight adjusting to minimize carcass weight loss while avoiding carcass weight gain.